U.S. Cuts in Africa Aid Said to Hurt War on Terror

WASHINGTON, July 22  The Bush administration and Congress have slashed millions of dollars of military aid to African nations in recent years, moves that Pentagon officials and senior military commanders say have undermined American efforts to combat terrorist threats in Africa and to counter expanding Chinese influence there.

Since 2003, Washington has shut down Pentagon programs to train and equip militaries in a handful of African nations because they have declined to sign agreements exempting American troops from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

But the policy, which was designed to protect American troops, has instead angered senior military officials, who say the cuts in military aid are shortsighted and have weakened counterterrorism efforts in places where the threat of international terrorism is said to be most acute.

Some cite this as a case where the unintended consequences of the go-it-alone approach to foreign policy that Washington took after the Sept. 11 attacks affected the larger American efforts to combat terrorism.

The cuts have also prompted outrage in Latin America, where several nations that have refused to sign the agreements have been cut off from certain military aid programs.

Last year, the United States cut off $13 million for training and equipping troops in Kenya, where operatives of Al Qaeda killed 224 people when they bombed the American Embassy compound in Nairobi in 1998.

In 2003, the flow of $309,000 annually was suspended to Mali, where Pentagon officials contend an Algerian separatist group with ties to Al Qaeda  known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, or G.S.P.C.  has established a base. Money has also been cut for Tanzania, Niger and several other African nations.

Citing Kenya as an example, Pentagon officials say it makes little sense to ask for Kenyas support in fighting terrorism while denying it the money it needs for training and equipping troops.

Kenya is a key partner in our counterterrorism strategy and our goals in Africa, a Pentagon official who works on Africa strategy said. This hurts us, theres no question about it.

Several officials interviewed for this article were given anonymity because they were discussing a continuing debate in the government and because some were discussing intelligence matters.

Some military officials also argue that the aid cuts have given China an upper hand in what they describe as a modern Great Game  a battle for influence in Africa between the powers, similar to the 19th-century rivalry in Central Asia between the British and the Russians.

Specifically, the officials cite the millions of dollars the Chinese government has spent on infrastructure projects and military training in Africa to help lock up government contracts for natural resources like oil, timber and metals.

Its hard to compete with China because of the agility they have in obtaining contracts and then starting projects very quickly without worrying too much about human rights, Gen. James Jones of the American European Command, which has military responsibility for most of Africa, recently told a Senate panel. So we have our work cut out for us.

China has substantially expanded its presence in Africa in recent years. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Chinas trade with Africa doubled to $18.5 billion between 2002 and 2003, and the figure exceeded $32 billion in November of 2005. China has overtaken Britain to become the continents third most important trading partner. But it is the impact on counterterrorism efforts in Africa that most alarms military officials.

The situation in Mali is of great concern because the Salafist group is believed to have established a foothold in that desolate countrys northern region. A recent State Department report said Malis northern territories had turned into a safe haven for the groups fighters.

The Salafist groups ability to attack the Algerian government is believed to have diminished in recent years, but intelligence officials are now concerned that the group is expanding its ties to Al Qaeda and other groups, and has used networks in the Middle East to send fighters into Iraq.

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